According to a GroupM ESP study in 2014, as reported by the Economic Times, cricket sponsorship has declined as sports such as football, tennis, hockey, and kabaddi have gained popularity. GroupM ESP is the entertainment, sports and content arm of media agency GroupM.

The report mentions that although the sports industry grew at a good rate of 10 per cent, value of ground sponsorship of cricket fell to Rs 464.7 crore in 2014 by from Rs 508.3 crore in 2013. The team sponsorship value - also declined from Rs 389.2 crore in 2013 to Rs 347.8 crore in 2014.

The 10 per cent growth - from Rs 4,372.5 crore in 2013 to Rs 4,809.69 crore in 2014 - in the sports industry is due to new tournaments in different sports such as the Indian Super League (football), International Premier Tennis League, Hockey India League, Pro Kabaddi League, and World Kabaddi League.

The report quoted Vinit Karnik, national director of sports and live events at GroupM ESP, saying the decline in numbers for cricket is mainly due to India hosting fewer international games. "But it is a fact that there was a price correction in the payouts to BCCI from title rights holders in 2014," added Karnik.

The Indian cricket team's sponsorship price fell also from Rs 3.33 crore per match in 2013 to Rs 2 crore per match in 2014. Also, only two companies were involved in bidding in 2014, as compared to 10 in 2013.

Other sports, however, have shown immense growth. Football increased by 227 per cent year-on-year in the value of team sponsorship from Rs 26.5 crore in 2013 to Rs 60.3 crore in 2014, primarily due to the emergence of the Indian Super League. Additionally, sports like kabaddi and tennis also witnessed incredible increase of 1,064 per cent in team sponsorship to Rs 74.5 crore in 2014 from merely Rs 7 crore in 2013.

Overall, other sports accounted for under than 30 per cent of the team sponsorship in 2014, increasing from 10 per cent in 2013.